


The Fox's Bride

by torinori



Category: Free!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Falling In Love, Folklore!AU, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Contracts, Nanase Haruka - Freeform, Rebirth, Tachibana Makoto - Freeform, japanese gods
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-06
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-02-20 05:12:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2416184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torinori/pseuds/torinori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A human's life is nothing but a blink of an eye for a Deity like Makoto who can live up to a thousand years. He has lived a normal life as far as a normal, lesser god could get until he falls in love with a human with deep cerulean eyes.</p><p>This is a story where the deity, Makoto and the human, Haruka is stuck in constant battle with fate and time. Whenever Haruka’s physical body dies and his soul sleeps, Makoto would go into deep sleep with him. The only time he wakes up is when the soul of his mortal lover is reborn into the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote it and added lots of stuff. Enjoy 8D

The sky looked dreary,dull and lifeless like the emotions brewing inside a young looking man standing in front of a rundown shrine, or at least he looked like man. If it weren't for the extra pair of fox-like ears laying flat against chestnut hair, or those set of fluffed up tails that idly swayed behind him;  _tails that looked a tad bit heavy due to its size_ , he’d pass as a human at any given day... but sadly he won’t.

Why?

Because this young-looking 'man' isn't exactly one per se. He is only but one of the many, many gods in that area. A Guardian Deity to be exact.

This deity in particular had just woken up from a long nap; or rather, a long _sleep_  andhe doesn't really have the energy to be moving around just yet. However he can’t help but feel a little disappointed at the sight of the aged building in front of him. Judging from the damage, it looked like the shrine’s been neglected for a long time. He almost feels grateful that the ceiling didn't collapse on him during his slumber... Almost _._

 _How long did it take this time... Ten?  Forty? Eighty years_?, his brows drew close in contemplation.

The very first time the deity, _Makoto of the Tachibana House_ went into deep sleep, he had almost slept a hundred years. But how long he slept this time?He doesn't know yet. Long enough for the building to achieve this grand state perhaps? Through the years the number of visitors dwindled but this time it seems that his beloved humans have completely forgotten the existence of the Tachibana Shrine.

 _How disheartening;_  he thinks, but quickly dismisses the thought as soon it came. He doesn't need to grieve about the neglect of his shrine nor the loss of visitors. He loved humans regardless of whether they believed in his kind or not, but there's no denying it could get lonely without the extra company these visitors offered. Even more so since he grew with a clingy pair of twin siblings, the thought of quiet isolation might just be a little hard to get used to...

 _"_ It'll be fine. Just like the previous times, everything will turn out just fine." He mumbles. 

And so with a strong shake of his head, Makoto shook away all the unnecessary thoughts plaguing his mind, making the bell tied to a red-knotted string on his ear chime in unison. He won't be sad... s _houldn't be sad._  There's someone he'll be watching over soon and that person is his top priority and nothing else. 

With a small smile gracing his lips, he stretches his arms with new found resolve followed by a loud yawn that the deity failed to suppress; his slightly dull canines exposed along a perfect set of teeth. He'll have to fix the shrine before anything else and gather food after. He needed to prepare everything as soon as possible if he didn't want to miss the important birth of a very important someone. It was why he woke up in the first place.

Several stretches later and the deity finds himself in another dilemma. His natural abilities as a deity isn't cooperating with him. He goes for another try, languidly raising a hand and snapping his fingers together, producing a small crackle of light in between his thumb and middle one. The motion was supposed to clear the vegetation wrapping the shrine but so far the vines showed no sign of movement nor is it retracting back to the ground.

"H-huh…? Wait… That isn't right…"he stares and blinks, brows scrunched up in confusion.

He tries again. This time with his arm extended all the way in front of him, two fingers squeezed tight against each other with much more concentration involved. There was light and there was crackling but so far, no sign of movement. The deity pales.

He tries again. Hours tick by like seconds and to the deity’s utter dismay his effort turned out fruitless. Exhausted, he convinces himself that given time his abilities will come back because it usually does. It just never takes this long. It’s his fourth time going into deep sleep but it’s the first time his abilities failed to come back soon after his awakening. He must be losing his touch.

“What a way to start first day…”he mutters to the wind. Dejected, he walks over to sit on the aged steps of his shrine. Tired. He decided that a short nap wouldn't hurt.

Another several hours pass and the young deity wakes up to a chill down his spine, still exhausted but better nonetheless. The air was becoming colder by the minute and he vaguely thinks he should be heading back inside his shrine for warmth, but chose to remain seated on the steps, admiring the view above him. The sky, previously bleak and gray had cleared up and is now painted in a flurry of orange, purples and pinks that reminded him of the desserts he used to receive as gifts from humans. The memory was enough to send his belly rumbling, begging to be filled. 'Oh, right', he hasn't eaten yet. He makes a face but doesn't make a move from his spot. He'll just eat tomorrow. Probably. He wouldn't die from starvation anyway. For now he just wants to be lazy for the rest of the night. Relax. Yeah, that sounds like a wonderful idea. But firstly he would need to go back inside. 'Right.', another herculean task for the lethargic deity.

It takes the deity roughly half an hour to gather the strength he needed to reach the door to his shrine.

 

* * *

 

Makoto is sprawled on top of a pile of worn out cushions. Rolling to his side and closer to the manually crafted fire for warmth, he’s spent the rest of the night organizing his thoughts. He's feeling forlorn about his inability to fix the state of the shrine,  _HIS_ family’s shrine he corrects himself as tails lazily swayed behind him. He turns and bunches them up into his arms, nuzzling his face to the softness of his fluffed up tails for comfort. He finds himself reminiscing after.

He thinks of how when he was young he would curl up to hug his tail to bed. A habit he hasn’t fully outgrown as sometimes he wakes up curled up into it. He also thinks of how he would sometimes be clutching on them whenever he’s feeling restless. Or the sillier episodes of hiding himself behind it whenever he gets a fright at night. Because as embarrassing at is, he admits that he’s not very fond of being alone in the mountain at night. A breathy laugh escapes his lips at that.

But the best memory the deity recalls is about a certain blue-eyed youth that shared the same fondness of his tail as him. This time Makoto breaks into a full smile.

And then he’s inhaling deeply.

Next moment he’s jerking his head back, wide-eyed and looking at his tail like its offended him in many ways than one. His face contorted with shock after the smell attacked his sensitive nose. _He desperately needed a bath_ are the thoughts that wracked his brain. He smelled absolutely horrible and musty like settled dust in a room full of damp boxes; which wasn't really far off. He did in fact sleep in a dusty room for who-knows-how-long. He’ll find out later. And then he’s distracted again because the number of tail in his arms is off by a digit. Last time he checked he only had four and he’s pretty sure hasn’t lost the ability to count because he’s counting again and he keeps counting five tails in total.It’s a few centimeters shy shorter than the rest but the extra tail is there. He must have grown it during his slumber. His parents and two younger siblings would be pleased to hear the news. Speaking of which, he needed to get in contact with his family too.

Tall ears twitched slightly in as his thoughts ran, arms folded over his chest and hidden inside the dusty sleeves of his white Haori* jacket. Even the white tassel around his waist looked grayish due to the dust. He’ll need to wash those too when he gets the chance. Wonderful.  Another chore to add to his growing to-do list with his shrine being the second priority right below ‘Bathing’. And then once he’s nice and clean he can get started rebuilding his home IF his abilities return by then. Because without his abilities he’s as useful as a carpenter without their toolbox could get. Makoto groans and rolls to his other side.

With a heavy sigh, the deity decides that for now he’ll just take a much needed rest. He’s still weak. If he rested enough surely his abilities would return quicker. He just hopes that soon would be tomorrow. He really doesn't have much time to be idling around. He has a meeting to go to.

When the deity prepares for bed he opts to switching to his other, much smaller form. With a “ _POOF!”_ followed by white cloud of smoke, the deity shrinks into a body of a brown fox. The fur should help keep him insulated from the biting cold.

Curling himself into a ball while burying further into the pile of square cushions as much as he can, he covers his face with his tails. The deity was soon fast asleep.

 

* * *

 

Later that night Makoto dreams of an old memory. A memory of a person with dark silky hair and a pair of clear blue eyes. In his dream he was floating in a sea of blue, his eyes darting around to find any surface that could possibly clue him which way goes up and which way is down. He doesn't panic however, because he knows this memory quite well. He's already been here three times.

And then there's a presence next to him and he slowly turns around to meet it. He could feel warmth spreading across his body as the person gently cupped his face and pressed a small kiss on his forehead. The person’s mouth moved but no sound came out. Makoto tilted his head to the side and tried to read his lips. Even if he couldn't hear, somehow, he knew it was his name that other person was mouthing and he was confident about the answer.

The dark-haired man with blue eyes was calling him. Makoto smiled warmly in return.

_“Makoto…”_

_“Makoto…”_

_“……Makoto?” the man leaned away, tilting his head to the side while his eyes searched something on Makoto’s face, almost like he was trying to read deeper into Makoto's thoughts. His hands remained steady, cupping the deity's face and keeping it in place._

_“Yes, I’m right here.” the deity placed his hands over his cheeks with the fondest smile gracing his lips._

_“I’ll see you later, Makoto.”  he mouths, a small smile barely reaching his eyes before everything turned a blinding white._

And then the man was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why grammar mistakes and glaring typos only come out once you're done posting up a fic. like LOL you were hiding there all this time? I also lost count on how many times I had to re-edit the chapter. Damn it.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of this fic! It's been literally years since I last wrote a fanfic for my favorite fandom and i'm excited to share my fantasies with everyone else hhahauehuehwh\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ *covers face and rolls to side* Comments and suggestions are very much welcome and appreciated.
> 
> Thank you everybody for reading!


	2. His beloved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Makoto struggles to tame his abilities and a little insight about his blind dedication over his chosen one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Haori = Jacket worn over a kimono

A crackling sound coming from the sky followed by a loud boom and flying debris of rocks and trees startles the life out of the deity, Makoto. It wasn’t his intention to blow up a particularly large boulder that’s blocking a path to his shrine.

No. He only intended to move the innocent boulder to the side.

Not blowing the entire thing into smithereens.

 

* * *

 

Half an hour ago, approximately when the birds had started singing, Makoto wakes up to the feeling of familiar energy stirring inside him. He knows he had gained a portion of his abilities back and much to his delight he springs up on all fours with newly found vigor.

He briefly remembers having a dream but decides he’ll think about it later. He’s too ecstatic to get to work soon.

A white gust of wind engulfs his small, fur covered body— the gust slowly growing bigger as it roughly shifted into a form of a human. The gust dissipates a second after revealing his human form fully clothed in a traditional dark-green and black kimono. The small bell hanging from his ear chimes. His long, still dusty Haori decorated with subtle geometric patterns briefly fluttering in the air as the gust slowly settles into a calming breeze. Makoto exhales, bringing his long, chestnut colored hair tied behind him to the front resting over his shoulder.

 _What a great morning,_  he thought as he stretched his arms and legs out, rotating his shoulders and craning his neck to release the tension from being curled up in a ball all night from his body, joints popping before padding across the room.

The old wooden floor creaked below him as he carefully threaded step at a time, worried it might break under his weight. He’s thinking of exercising his control on a boulder that’s blocking one of the paths to his shrine. That same path also leads to a lake so he should be dealing with it in the first place. He’s been itching for a bath since yesterday. That would be a perfect start.

When he reaches outside though he takes several moments before making his way to said boulder— saying ‘ _Good Morning’_  to the tree sparrows that perched on his shoulder and head and to that family of white rabbits that happily chewed on the dandelions at the foot of his shrine’s steps. He also took his time reveling at the smell of morning dew, taking a big whiff of the clean and crisp air that reminded him of how nature would smell like after a good heavy rain. He absolutely loved it and broke into a sunny smile.

It was definitely going to be a good day for the young deity.

Finally getting to the boulder, he measures its height and weight before giving it a few experimental taps. He rubs his chin and squints, lips pursed into a tight line. He concludes that moving it to the side shouldn’t be a problem.

**Bad decision.**

_A very bad decision_ , he mentally screams because moments later the young deity is crying out with a startled yelp.

He should have focused more because he sure wasn’t prepared for that bolt of lightning descending from the sky, unforgivingly punishing the boulder and sending debris of rocks and trees flying everywhere.

 _At least the boulder is out of the way and I can take a nice bath?_  , he convinces himself.

Next moment he’s turning pale at the thought that what if that blow had been misguided and hit HIM?

He shudders, tall ears and five tails bristled and standing stiff.

Okay, so skills are off-limits for now. He just woke up. Yes, it’s definitely the grogginess of the morning that caused the incident to happen. He’ll just wait until he’s clean and filled with food before he continues to exercise his control over his abilities. Makoto proceeds on the now cleared path to the lake meanwhile apologizing to whichever creature he came across that got scared away by his earlier exhibition of powers.

For the rest of the day Makoto continued to have several lightning ‘accidents’ around the mountain area.

 

* * *

 

A couple of miles away at a small port town built next to the sea, several townspeople that were out were distracted by the distant crackling sound of thunder. A pregnant woman in particular with long black hair and a pair of sharp gray eyes looks up to the sky and then towards the sea, a worried expression visible on her face. She had just sent her husband off to fish at the sea about half an hour ago. Local weather reports didn’t mention a possible lightning storm when she checked this morning’s news. She herself made sure of that before bidding her husband a safe trip.

 _Maybe there was an error on the weather station’s side? They’re not really 100% accurate_ —she worried her lips, brows furrowed at the thought of a storm brewing and was about to give her husband a call but as if on cue her phone rings in her pocket. She fishes it out and reads that it was from her husband.

He just sent a text informing her that he’ll be coming home early in fear that a storm might be brewing. She sighs in relief then replies with a ‘Good.  _Take care on your back.’_  She was about to continue her morning walk when she felt pressure on her stomach. She pauses and feels her unborn child kick a second time.

“Did you feel that mommy was worried?” she places a gentle hand over her round belly, giving it a few circular rubs and letting out a breathy laugh when her child had gently kicked a third time in response.

“We can’t be having your daddy missing even before you’re born, right?” she coos before looking back up to be greeted by her friendly neighbor.

“Oh, good morning Tamura-san,” she greets.

“Good morning Nanase-san, how is everything coming along with you and your husband? Excited for the little one?” her neighbor Tamura greets back.

“Oh we’re doing great, thank you for asking!” she smiles a little wider, “My husband and I have been preparing for the arrival of our child for so long that we’re pretty much left with nothing to do but wait. Just two more weeks left in fact.” she lets out another breathy laugh.

“That’s wonderful dear. I wish you have a healthy child!” her neighbor beams

“Thank you very much, we’re wishing the same thing too.”

“Oh? Are you worried? Don’t be, I’m sure you’ll have a healthy child, dear.” the neighbor reassures

“Well,” she pauses, “all I’ve been eating is fish recently. And I can’t seem to drink anything besides chlorinated water for some reason. Anything else I can’t seem to take…” she gives her belly a few more circular rubs before looking back up, her smile dropping a little.

“Ohoho~ I see.” her neighbor walks over and places a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Let me tell you dear, when I had my first child all I could eat was rice with soy sauce on top, nothing else! My husband and I became very worried about our child’s health but in the end we had a very healthy baby girl! It’s just cravings dear— as long as you take vitamins you will be fine.” her neighbor smiles warmly

She hums in agreement, feeling a little better after learning that bit of information.

“So, are you having a baby girl?”

“A baby boy, actually.”

“Oh my, have you thought of a name yet?”

“Haruka…” she breaks into a fond smile, eyes and lips curved up “His name is going to be Nanase Haruka.” she announces proudly.

 

* * *

 

A week later and Makoto’s abilities finally returned, although not 100% but it was enough that he knows he won’t be summoning a bolt of lightning out of nowhere or over boiling his herbal tea and turning it into steam.

At least that’s what he thought when he tried to practice over the week.

He was growing impatient by the day and was getting very worried about his lack of control that he had turned to ask for his parents help. Which also turned out disastrous.  Because when they came to his aid they had found him passed out in front of his shrine surrounded by a concerned group of animals. They chided him but offered their help nonetheless.

He also learned that he’s been asleep for over 60 years. _Not too bad_ , he thought. He’s gone longer than that.

His parents however tip-toed around the subject of his awakening which they never really got around to asking but Makoto didn't mind. He just wanted the entire ordeal to be over with and then he can visit the nearby human town.

And after then he’ll meet with the human whose carrying the soul of his beloved. Yes, he’d very much like that. He really couldn't wait to see his beloved again and distantly wonders what appearance they’d take this time.

 _A man? A woman?,_  he really doesn't care because he knows his said person will grow up to become a fine, elegant, beautiful human being with porcelain-like skin that could shine under moonlit sky when bathed with droplets of water. Dark, velvety locks of hair would define the shape of their face and oh, he just can’t wait to run his fingers against silky smooth skin—Okay, he should really stop there.

And his most favorite feature of all are those bright blue eyes that never failed to captivate him.

He really misses those expressive eyes…

Then he wonders— If only he was powerful enough that he could grant the gift of immortality, he’d like to grant that person with that gift. He’ll live happily ever after with that person and maybe have a family together and make cute little children. Isn't that how human tales usually ended in one of their silly little human books? He smiles at the thought of having his own happy family. He can’t even remember how many times he’d dreamed about similar thoughts.

Caught in reverie, Makoto was snapped out of his fantasies when his mother had called his name out in an alarming tone.

His abilities unintentionally leaked out and were slowly burning the wooden floor below him during his little daydream.

His parents had looked at him that day with a mix of worry and sympathy. They know what their son is going through or at least what was going through his head that caused the accident but they know it’s futile to try to talk some sense into him. They've already done so for the past hundreds of years and even tried to get him married to another deity, whom became very infuriated when Makoto had turned her down and laid a hand on the person he cared for the most. That caused their son to go on a violent rampage that involved several wild forest fires and strong lightning storms accompanied by heavy rain and flooding as he grieved for weeks when his person got hurt.  Yes, the Tachibana couple knew better than to touch the subject about changing hearts and picking a much more fitting life partner for their son than a regular human being. They also knew better than to touch the person their son chose to be with for the rest of his life—a fact that Makoto had declared many _many_ years ago.

The deity Makoto of the Tachibana house is a gentle, compassionate god that is loved by those who knew him and all the animals around him. He is known for his kind, selfless nature and dedication to those he cared about. He was also adored for his physique and his endearing smile that could cure any kind of sickness. But most of all he is well known in the realm of gods as the god who foolishly fell in love with a mortal.

Makoto couldn’t care any less at what the others say though. He chose this life and chose to stick to it till the end of it all.

Maybe once his life as a god ends, he’ll be reborn as a human.

And maybe he can finally live a peaceful life in the mortal realm with his person.

Thankfully no creature was harmed in the process except for the deity himself. Just small cuts and bruises from tiny rocks flying at him. No big deal.

 

* * *

 

A week and a half since his awakening and Makoto is brimming with excitement.

He’s finally able to visit the human town after successfully grasping control over his abilities. He’s also there to take a peek at certain a couple who’s gently sleeping in their home, careful not to stir them in their sleep as he hovered next to their bed. They looked so happy and seemed content together that his heart quivered upon seeing them. He almost felt jealous but immediately discarded the thought.

“Three days left and I’ll be meeting you soon.” makoto whispers inaudibly.

“I’ll see you soon, Haru.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you liked this chapter! Haruka is going to be introduced on the next one then domestic fluff will ensue so please look forward to that.  
> ( ´ ▽ ` ) ( ´ ▽ ` ) ( ´ ▽ ` ) ( ´ ▽ ` ) 
> 
> Comments and suggestions are appreciated!!  
> No i'm serious. I'm easily influenced and may or may not listen and use your suggestions to build this story from top to bottom so yeah. Thank you again for reading up to this point!


	3. Rebirth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the deity Makoto finally gets to meet Haruka. Meanwhile the Tachibana couple briefly shows up to check on their son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gave me a lot of trouble. I didn't know how I was going to go about haru’s introduction without dragging and making you guys impatient but finally I got around to finishing it even though I’m several days late! I’m also trying to write a little better as I go so I hope this chapter turns out better than the previous two… haha.. *lays on side*

“Sweetie, why don’t you sit yourself down for a moment?”

“BUT MOM—” an exasperated looking makoto wailed, “Haruka is going to arrive in a few hours! I couldn’t even catch a wink of sleep last night because what if I overslept? That would be horrible!”

“Sweetheart, Haruka isn’t going anywhere and you know that.” the older female deity gently chides.

“I know that but I can’t help but feel nervous…” the youngest of the deities anxiously chewed on his thumb

“Makoto, why don’t you drink some tea? You need to calm your nerves son.” the eldest deity offered a sympathetic smile

“No I’m okay, I already had ten. Thanks dad.”

“Makoto sweetie you’re obviously not OKAY. Shouldn’t you be used to this already? It IS your fourth time going through this or am I wrong?” his mother asked, cocking her head to the side.

“I suppose it is…” his shoulders sagged “… but that doesn’t mean everything would go smoothly like the first three times. I can’t help but worry that what if something bad happens during delivery— that what if… WHAT IF—” makoto stood frozen in horror as multiple scenarios rolled like a film through his head, riling the already nervous deity up.

“Just sit down and stop worrying. Everything will go smoothly.” his mother reassured

“But—“

“Makoto. “

_“—what if”_

“ **S** **IT DOWN** **.** “ she spoke with an authoritative tone. Makoto immediately obeys and hugged his tail for comfort. His ears were flat against his head while sending an apologetic look over his father who’s calmly sipping his tea and to his mother who’s now smiling sweetly at him like she just hadn’t exercised her authority over her son 5 seconds ago.

Three e _xcruciatingly_ —to Makoto’s disgruntlement— hours later and finally, _FINALLY_ makoto was allowed to stand from his seat.  Too eager to get up he fumbled on his two feet with limbs feeling slightly numbed after being tucked under for a long time. He excused himself after his mother reminded him to conceal his presence from humans just in case he forgot. He’d be in big trouble if he was seen. How would he explain the five tails and two ears stuck to his body otherwise? Not only that but hovering a few feet above the ground while skipping over tree branches? He’d be endangering the existence of his kind if that were to happen! He sputtered an apology earning him a small laugh and a ‘good luck’ from his parents whilst mentally scolding himself to pull his stuff together as he made his way down the mountain. He was a man on a mission and he’d hate to make a mistake when he’s racing with time.  All clumsiness were forgotten however once he arrived at his destination which was an old-fashioned building sitting atop a flight of stairs. He briefly stared at the house feeling a little too overwhelmed and excited at the same time before cautiously making his way to the side of the building to peek through a window.

That’s when he finally saw a glimpse of him. “ _Haruka…”_ the deity says breathily

A pair of forest-green orbs shone bright as they lay upon the child bundled in a faintly blue blanket securely tucked in the mother’s arms, showering the little tyke with as much attention as the two new parents could give. With eyes glazed with a look of pure fondness, the deity admired the little being from the other side of the window. Oh how Makoto wanted to reach out and hold those little hands held up in the air like a precious stone that needed to be admired with utmost care. He wanted to gush over Haruka too but could do nothing but simply press his face closer to the glass.

He utters a silent thank you to the exhausted but otherwise triumphant mother that granted his beloved’s soul a new life. He could feel the tears starting to well up but willed himself not to shed any. He could almost hear Haruka’s voice half reprehending with a hint of amusement, reminding him that he shouldn't cry because it’s supposed to be a happy occasion. He smiles at the thought and quickly looks down when he felt a nudge followed by several mewls coming from below him. He wipes the tears with his sleeve and laughs softly. The neighborhood cats seem to have gathered around him to offer their support. He brings a finger over his lips to gesture the cats to be quiet in which they happily obliged.

He takes his time watching the family and waiting until one of the parents looks over to the window. He had a surprise to show them after all.

With a raise of his hand a gust of wind blew across the small port town of Iwatobi, bringing with it a flurry of pink cherry petals all the way up from the mountains. The birds sang along with the wind chimes that jingled in the air. The sky was clear and the clouds were thick and fluffy like feathers floating over everyone’s heads. The sea was calm and everything else turned picture perfect just as Makoto planned. A perfect way to celebrate his person’s birth, he thought. The deity had made special arrangements to spring cherry trees outside town because suddenly growing them in the middle of town would only confuse the townsfolk. He may have also accidentally caused the flowers and trees near the Nanase household to go into full bloom and was also probably responsible for that one sparrow flying into an open window over the ceiling, dropping a single flower on the family’s bed much to the couple’s surprise. It was really the only gift he could behold the couple and Haruka, their child. He wouldn't do anything too drastic that would endanger the deity leading to his discovery. Humans can be scary when confronted with supernatural occurrences that couldn't be explained. That one he knows.

When he was satisfied, he takes one last peek at the family before making his way back to the shrine. He’ll just visit Haruka again in the evening when the Nanase couple is asleep.

 

* * *

 

Several months pass, Haruka slowly but steadily grew bigger and Makoto was there with him; have _always_ been present somewhere near the Nanase family without missing a day simply watching over Haruka every moment of his life.

He was present when Haruka nearly fell off his crib after learning how to stand up on his own; an accident that shaved off a few years of his life. He was present when Haruka took his first baby steps. He was also present on every playdate the Nanase couple had set their child up with other children and was definitely present during their family visits to the park where Haruka would be safely strapped to his father’s back. Makoto remembers hovering after said man and nearly burst into flying hearts and feathers when one time the child had stared at him with familiarity in his eyes. Those deep cerulean eyes which Makoto dearly loved brought up several memories of his first encounters with Haruka, both happy and sad.  So when the couple stopped to sit on a park bench; Makoto ever so gently cups the child’s face with his palms and plants a small kiss on his forehead, earning Makoto a soft giggle from the child.

For the first time since he was born, out of the blue the Nanase couple heard their child laugh.

When Haruka spoke his first words, to his parent’s surprise, he had made out words that _almost_ resembled their names. _ALMOST,_ because as it turned out instead of saying “Ma-ma” haruka had said “Ma-ko”, which in time turned into “Ma-koh-toh”. Mrs. Nanase tried to correct him by repeating ‘ _mama’_ several times but Haruka was persistent. The couple was puzzled as to why their son kept on whining someone else’s name before bursting into quiet sniffles.

Makoto on the other hand was bursting into tiny million heart-shaped bubbles literally flying, _hovering_ over Haruka as his tails visibly wagged behind him. Haruka’s first words turned out to be _HIS_ name! His heart felt full but also felt slightly bad for Haruka’s parents. The deity decides he’ll help his parents teach their child how to say _Mama_ and _Papa_. He had all the time in the world after all.

Another several months later and Haruka is still persistently calling out to _Mah-koh-toh_ whenever he can. This elated the deity and cooed over Haruka, his heart brimming with fondness that his Haruka had somehow grown attached to him at such a young age but then it dawns him. He’s been influencing Haruka far too much.  The Nanase couple was _really_ starting to get worried and considered seeking for help but of course Makoto wouldn’t allow them. Nothing was wrong with his Haruka! If anyone were to be blamed it would be him. So the deity takes responsibility by erasing his presence around Haruka from that day on. Makoto’s heart sunk whenever he saw those big blue eyes search the room and calling his name but receiving no response from the deity.

It can’t be helped, he thought with downcast eyes. Makoto didn’t want people to start giving Haruka weird looks because he’s communicating with something that’s visibly not there. He will just have to continue watching over Haruka without directly associating himself with the child. It doesn’t matter whether Haruka can see him or not, as long as he could stay by his side then he’ll be fine.

 _“Yes, i’ll be fine,”_ he repeats in his head like a mantra trying to convince himself thateverything will turn out _just fine as long as Haruka’s allowed to live  a normal life. Let him enjoy his childhood while secretly protect him from the side._

He also convinced that he’s not upset or doesn’t feel _broken_ — that he wasn’t bothered at all by their circumstances.

The deity remained quiet over the weeks until Haruka finally learned how to give up searching the room for any signs Makoto.

 

* * *

 

 **A year later** and Makoto has grown into a daily routine of waking up next to Haruka, following Haruka a few feet behind wherever he goes meanwhile learning about how humanity had advanced into a time that they refer to as “technological age”. It baffled the deity how much things could change in only 60 years and was very impressed at humanity’s advance. However he was also deeply saddened at how humans have grown to neglect on nature.

Makoto especially didn’t appreciate those who littered garbage wherever they wanted whenever they wanted. Makoto made sure to play pranks on those people just to teach them a lesson. He huffs, ears pointed and arms crossed over his chest.

 **At the age of three,** Haruka started to attend daycare. Makoto was also there.

Makoto’s protective nature also happened to kick in that day when another child suddenly chucked a toy at Haruka while nobody was looking, earning a small bump on Haruka’s forehead. Makoto was flabbergasted but he knew he shouldn’t do anything. There was no trace malicious intent so how could he possibly touch the innocent child? He hasn’t stooped that low. At least not yet.

He puffs and begun to lean down, planting small a kiss over the bump on Haruka’s forehead hoping it’ll send the pain away. What he wasn’t prepared for was Haruka’s reaction to his harmless little gesture.  He saw the child’s eyes grow wider and then looks up to him like he knew Makoto was right there standing over him. Makoto gaped.

He’s petrified in place as Haruka held his gaze, eyes wide as saucers as the deity broke into cold sweat. _Can he see me?_ — he thinks as his heart soared. But then Haruka drops his gaze and returns to playing with colored pencils, scribbling on paper with what Makoto could vaguely make out as a house like nothing happened. The deity blinks several times before finally releasing his breath he didn’t even know he was holding in.For some reason he felt let down when he realized Haruka just happened to look up and really couldn’t see him.

Later that day Makoto made sure to cast a protective barrier around Haruka so whatever was thrown at him would harmlessly bounce back without reaching Haru. That would keep his precious Haruka from harm’s way.

 **At six years old,** Makoto pretended to be a child around Haruka’s age. For the first time in many years the deity gave into the urge to talk to his beloved without any reserve, spending the rest of the day playing in the sandbox with other children but mostly with Haruka where his parents had left them. Everyday Makoto disguised himself as a six year-old child and everyday he visited the park to play with his Haruka. Since then he has turned from ‘ _Makoto the Deity’_ into _‘Tachibana Makoto, the child that lived in a temple’_ whom also quickly turned into _‘Nanase Haruka’s Best Friend’_.

“Haru-chan!” a young boy with kind green eyes and a big dopey smile jogged towards Haruka.

“…Makoto. You’re late.” Haruka turned to the other boy and frowned.

“I’m sorry I had to do something at home...” he smiled apologetically “But I’m here now aren’t I?”

"....Oh. Okay." Haruka stared at the ground, refusing any eye-contact with Makoto.

"Haru-chan? Are you upset? I'm sorry, don't be mad at me?" he fretted, hovering closer to the blue-eyed boy.

"......I'm not mad...." he mumbled.

"Eh? Then... why won't look at me?"

" . . . ." haruka stood quiet.

" H-Haru-chan... " tears started to collect at the corners of the other child's eyes. One glance from Haruka and he was immediately sent into panic mode. The blue-eyed boy didn't intend to make the other cry. He just didn't know what to say after he'd gotten upset over nothing at the other boy. Now he's really done it and managed to make his newly found best friend cry. He had to do something to make the other feel better. Thrusting his hand into his pocket, he grabs his most priced toy. Hopefully this'll patch things up.

"Makoto, don't cry. Here, you can have this.” he put the toy, a rounded blue dolphin key-chain into makoto's palm. The other gasps in surprise.

“W-what? No it's okay! It's your favorite toy right? I can't have this!” the other stuttered in between sniffles, pushing the toy back to haruka's chest.

“It's okay. You're my friend and I want you to have it.” He said with finality. The blue-eyed boy didn't seem like he'll be accepting 'No' as an answer any time soon so makoto simply takes the toy, earning a pleased hum from haruka. And then Makoto's eyes light up in understanding. The other boy was simply trying to apologize for making him cry. 

“Are you really sure I can have it?" When makoto looks up and asks again, haruka simply nods with a small smile. He really wanted makoto to have it.

"Thank you, Haru-chan! I'll treasure it forever!” Makoto beamed at the other boy, endeared at the gesture as he threw both arms around him pulling the other into a tight hug. Haruka, with nowhere to put his hands kept his arms hanging in the air. Makoto noticed this and simply laughed a light-hearted giggle.

“Haru-chan, I love you!” he smiled innocently before placing a quick peck on the other’s lips. As a child it was an honest, chaste, _makoto-swears-to-his-parents_ , innocent kiss. However he can't help the warmth tugging on his heartstrings. He had just stolen Haruka’s first kiss. And a first kiss is a special kiss, mortal or not.

Two weeks later and the boy Makoto never appeared at the park again. Haruka kept waiting but his friend never came back.

Haruka, feeling betrayed silently cried into his pillow and Makoto was there to witness it all.

Haruka swore he'd never trust another kid to be his friend again.

 **At eight years old,**  the bullying at school started. Makoto saw it happen and what he saw was red.

Haruka had had grown up to become an attractive young boy graced with the features of his mother but with the sharp blue eyes of his father,  _in which Makoto was very proud of though he had already expected it no less from his Haruka,_  that the young boy often received praises from other parents and neighbors. Kids his age on the other hand thought he looked too feminine to be a boy and his weird affinity towards water was a little unusual.

It didn’t help either that Haruka had grown adept at ignoring kids he deemed ‘ _too annoying’._  That trait seemed to infuriate the bullies even more. At first they taunted Haruka with sarcastic jokes but when the taunting didn’t work they turned to name-calling. And when the name-calling didn’t work either the bullies turned to a more physical approach.

Haruka didn’t even bat an eyelid. Makoto on the other hand was boiling dangerously hot.

Makoto’s pupils had turned into sharp slits as his eyes narrowed down at the bunch of kids preparing to throw rocks at Haruka. They had him backed up to a wall behind the school building with no adults in sight. If the kids did anything to Haruka right now nobody would even know.

Meaning if Makoto did something to those kids _nobody would know either_ …

Makoto contemplated on how he was going to drive away the bullies but before he could come up with a peaceful solution, the first rock flew towards Haruka barely hitting him on the arm. And then there's a sound of something snap into two at the back of Makoto's head. 

The wind picked up and whistled. The trees swayed a little stronger and the surrounding area grew a little darker. Before the kids could throw another rock at Haruka they were sent running back into the school building with tail between their legs after a loud thunder crackled directly above them. Makoto, enraged over the harsh treatment on Haruka only calms down when the kids were out of his sight. The sky cleared and the wind turned into a softer breeze that gently brushed the raven-haired youth’s skin.

When Makoto turns to Haruka he was surprised to see that the young boy unfazed. He simply glances up and offers the sky a tiny smile, barely noticeable but Makoto definitely saw it. He knew Haruka knew something was watching over him. His heart beats faster and Makoto wishes his guts were telling him wrong. He didn’t want his carefully crafted cover to be blown.

 **At the age of twelve,**  Makoto was getting really worried that Haruka still had no friends his age. He felt guilty that maybe, just MAYBE the young boy decided to shut people out because of what he did when Haruka was six years old. Or maybe not because the deity knew Haruka have always liked his personal space ever since he was a child. Still, Makoto couldn't help but worry. Sure there's the rare occasions when the young boy would go out of his way to expose himself to others presence, besides his parents, in his own quiet little Haruka-like ways, but doesn't that mean his precious one DOES get lonely? 'Wait, OF COURSE HE DOES!', makoto berates himself. Haruka might seem cold and indifferent on the outside but he knows better than that. Haruka is actually warm and fuzzy on the inside.

 _'My precious, delicate, little Haruka.'_ the deity gushed

Maybe he's overthinking again like what his parents kept telling him for the past hundreds of years. Makoto should probably stop. Haruka wouldn't do something he didn't want so if friends is something the boy didn't want to involved himself into then Makoto will have to respect his wishes. 

Twelve was also when Haruka started to show signs of puberty. His voice had gotten a little deeper and he continued to grow taller and just as Makoto predicted, even more beautiful as he aged, his features less rounded and his body starting to shave off some of his baby fat.

 _Must be the swimming lessons_ , he thought.

It also marked the day when Makoto nearly combust into flames, suffering from a mini heart attack when he finds Haruka writhing under the sheets one night. Worried that Haruka might be having a nightmare, Makoto hovered closer above the younger boy and was about ready to soothe him. However, upon the deity’s closer inspection he noticed that Haruka was subconsciously rubbing his hips against the bed earning him tiny grunts from the younger boy.

Reality hit Makoto and it hit him HARD. His precious Haruka was starting to develop sexual urges. 

The deity, embarrassed to his skin stumbles back to the floor away from Haruka. His face was as red as a tomato and eyes wide as saucers. His mouth gaped like a fish out of the water. That night Makoto hightails back to his shrine only to shut himself in there for the next 3 days.

It was the first time since Haruka’s birth twelve years ago that Makoto had voluntarily left Haruka’s side, though not completely alone. The deity made sure to send a few animals to watch over the young man during his absence.

 **At thirteen years old,** Haruka’s parents reluctantly leaves him under the care of his grandmother to move to the big city. The younger boy insisted he stayed behind in Iwatobi and that he would be fine living with his grandmother. Makoto fretted but was soon relieved when Haruka’s parents finally caved into their child’s wishes but under several conditions— _to Haruka’s distress_ — that he changed his diet and learned to eat other dishes besides Mackerel, to not fall asleep in the bath tub, and to maintain good grades at school. His mother understood why her son loved the fish so much but she’s not going to allow him to continue his unhealthy diet of just Mackerel and Rice. Haruka gritted his teeth, forced to agree to his mother's 'unfair' terms.

 **At the age fourteen,**  Haruka’s life turns upside down. His grandmother passes away due to old age and Makoto was there to witness him grieve for weeks.

His parents came to collect him, much to Makoto’s horror, but Haruka _still_ refused to go with them. He had insisted that he learned to become independent and he wasn't ready to move out of Iwatobi yet. Haruka reasoned with his parents and by some miracle they actually agreed that they’d let him live on his own with several added conditions involving cellphones and this video chat program called _'skype'_  , Haruka doesn't really remember. He just accepted whatever conditions they laid out along with a brand new laptop they gave him as a gift to make sure he keeps his promise to video call at least once a week. Makoto thanked Haruka's headstrong personality for once.

It was also the age that puberty really hit Haruka like a wave. Haruka had switched from casual swimming and entered a more competitive environment after gaining a friend/rival,  _to the deity's excitement_ , whom shared the same passion for swimming as he. The training did wonders to the young man's form and sometimes the deity had to stop himself from visibly ogling at his beloved.

Makoto thinks it was too much of a sight to behold. Too much skin wasn't good for the deity's fragile heart. 

 **At the age of fifteen,**  Makoto’s feelings shifted into something more than parental love. Haruka was turning into a dangerously stunning beauty that even Makoto couldn’t help but admire the boy without a blush creeping up to his ears and by the age of sixteen, his feelings have completely transformed into a need to claim the younger teen. His possessiveness came in full force a little later.

He had long stopped being comfortable at accompanying Haruka whenever he went to his room and he change or the bathroom to shower or bathe. Though sometimes he would take peeks just to check whether the other had fallen asleep in the tub or not. He didn't want any accidents to happen.

Makoto also learned to give the young man privacy after that one fateful night a few years ago, the memory still fresh in his mind that it burned Makoto’s cheeks whenever he recalled it. Incidentally it was also the same time that Makoto decided he couldn't sleep in the same room as Haruka anymore. He started sending his trusted animal friends every night to keep an eye on the younger teen's house in his place and only when he felt Haruka was under stress did Makoto ever stay over to offer his silent company. Makoto would then sleep on the hard floor outside Haruka's door, still keeping a safe distance.

If there was something that Makoto is recently worrying about,  _besides the occasional bees buzzing around Haruka,_  it would be carefully avoiding the teen's sixth sense. Over the years he had gotten better at sensing presences unseen by the naked eye. On rare occasions he would even say something to drive away whatever he thinks is present in the room whenever he needed absolute isolation. Makoto had a mini episode of a heart attack the first time it happened. Then there's that other time when he had distinctly said with a commanding tone to stay out of his room like he knew Makoto was going to follow him upstairs. Makoto who was innocently watching television froze in place.

The deity was almost convinced that maybe Haruka could actually see him but played it innocent all these years.

Halfway through sixteen, Makoto’s possessiveness had gotten worse. The young deity started to develop a certain dislike towards humans that looked at Haruka with admiration in their eyes or sometimes more. The ones that looked at Haruka’s body with sultry were sure to feel Makoto’s jealousy in a form of tiny charges of electricity jolting them from their reverie whether they’re female or male. Makoto, the deity from the Tachibana house who swore to protect Haruka from any malice also refused to let anyone look at _his_ Haruka in any way that’s more than friendly. He hasn’t been watching over Haruka all these years only to be snatched right under his nose. Makoto wouldn’t allow that. So he proceeds to send higher voltage shocks to whoever attempted to woo his beloved. _God forbid_ if anyone ever even dare lay their dirty paws on _his_  Haruka. Yes. _HIS._  That person may not see the light of the day again.

 **Half a year left until Haruka is turning seventeen**. Makoto is beyond excited.

No more disguising as a stray fox that liked sleeping at his front porch during the day.

No more disguising as a random fisher who just happened to have caught too many fish so he gives the extra to the teen.

No more hiding away whenever Haruka would use his keen senses to scan the room of any unknown presence. 

And no more disguising himself as a human child whom haruka once knew as  _Tachibana Makoto, the child from the Temple._  No. This time he can finally re-introduce himself to Haruka without pretending to be someone else.

Haruka's coming of age is on his seventeenth birthday and he'll start to remember fragments of his past lives in a form of dreams. That is also going to be Makoto’s cue to reveal himself to Haruka and maybe inform him of their fate together as a destined couple. ' _Maybe, maybe not_ ', he thinks, because he may end up overwhelming the teen with the information if things are said too soon _._ Makoto knows the teen might even go into denial under the wrong circumstances. If Haruka is the same as the Haruka Makoto knew from his previous lives, then the process of having to ease the teen into this situation is going to be a long and delicate one. Either he'll accept it or run away from it, Makoto will just have to thread lightly. He should probably start practicing his carefully crafted dialogue now if he didn't want to mess this up.

Six months left and he could finally claim who is rightfully his.

Makoto couldn't wait.


	4. A Chance Against Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooooooh Chapter four! I am trash. I have no excuse why this fic took so long to update. I only hope that you enjoy the chapter. Also, feel free to point out any errors in text if you spot one so I could fix it. I haven't slept yet and i'm going to work in a couple of hours so I have no time to properly beta this. Anyway, ENJOY!

Nanase Haruka. Male, age sixteen turning seventeen the next day. He lives alone in his grandparent’s house, his family living hours away in Tokyo where the rest of his other extended family reside. Independent and mainly lived on a diet of Fish, namely Mackerel... Sometimes pizza if he felt like it. Will argue that his diet is balanced enough with the sides and soups he prepared along each meal. His mother begged to differ, fearing his son might suffer from mercury poisoning. Haruka just shrugs every time, thinking if that were the case he would’ve gotten sick already but so far Haruka hasn’t… at least, not yet.

Makoto is sitting on the porch, arms folded inside long white sleeves and feet tucked comfortably under him. His eyes are closed and his shoulders relaxed as he basked on the first rays of sun. In front of him lies Haruka’s garden, one of the deity’s favorite places. Plants that Haruka personally tended to grew out of the humble plot  and Makoto found his precious one’s dedication towards his little garden endearing. Speaking of which, Haruka should be coming down any minute now.

His ears perk up when he heard light footsteps coming from the stairs down the hallway, the floorboards creaking under the person’s weight. And  what’s this? Is that mumbling he hears? Makoto shifts closer towards the door, waiting expectantly for his person to come. As if on queue the blue-eyed teen rounds the corner and the deity breaks into a warm smile but it instantly falls when he noticed the troubled look on Haruka’s face... Oh, he’s on his phone. Haru’s not very fond of his phone, the deity thinks as the teen briskly walked towards the kitchen.

Makoto follows, or more like hovers after Haruka not wanting the floorboards to creak under him and alert the teen of his arrival. As he gets closer the sound of pots and pans clanking against each other gets louder indicating that the teen is preparing his breakfast. And of course Haruka’s on his swimsuit again, blue apron over his barely clothed self… And fish? Again? The deity sighs part fondly, part mild exasperation. Even Makoto knows what a balanced diet is but who is he to deny what Haruka wants? Oh well.

The deity silently watched him from afar, gazing dreamily at the other as his body leaned against the counter, head tilted to one side with a fond smile gracing his face. The deity is excited. VERY excited because tomorrow is a very special day and he can’t help but feel ten times happier than usual. So he decides, as creepy as it sounds to allow himself to watch Haruka from a good distance. It wouldn’t hurt if he just watched, right? It’s not like Makoto does this everyday… he’s just too excited for tomorrow’s coming-of-age ceremony that he wanted to see Haruka’s face before setting off to the mountains and do business. It should be perfectly acceptable to indulge on a little Haruka-viewing time that would last him a whole day.

From a few feet away he could see the drops of water trickling down the teen’s neck. Of course he didn’t dry his hair properly. Haru never gives his hair more than five scrubs after he bathes. Really! when will he ever learn to dry his hair properly? Geez Haru, he internally scolds the other.

Seconds tick by and Makoto’s urge to swipe that one particularly big drop of water stuck to the corner of Haruka’s neck grows stronger. The feeling overwhelms him that his brain doesn’t register his hand already reaching out towards the teen, the realization coming too late as the tips of his fingers brushed against Haruka’s neck. OH NO.

He quickly draws his hand back, wrapping it with the other and pressing it tightly against his chest. He stared wide-eyed at the teen, his breath caught and his body frozen in place.

Did he notice?, the deity looked away as he started to break into cold sweat. I’m so stupid, why did I do that? I normally keep myself in check! I..., he silently screamed in panic.

Should he move away? Should he fly back to his temple? Should he go hide? Technically the teen doesn’t even see him but Makoto definitely felt the contact, meaning the teen must have felt it as well. If Haruka is alerted then it’s highly likely that he’ll sense the deity’s presence in the room— Makoto wishes that wasn’t the case. He would hate to freak Haruka out and have the boy tell him to ‘Go away!’ like that one incident a long time ago. The memory still haunted the deity to this day.

With dread, Makoto squeezes his eyes shut with his head held down, his shoulders drawn higher while he clutched tightly on the hand he touched Haruka with close to his heart.

Please don’t make him tell me to go away again, the deity wished with everything he’s got.

The deity remained still, continuing to hold his breath for what felt like hours until Haruka moves over to the table with two plates on each hand. Good, Haru probably didn’t sense anything. He was too preoccupied to notice!, makoto sighs in relief as he finally lets out the breath he’d been holding, his shoulders slumping and body leaning back onto the counter for support.

He can’t be around the teen right now— not when he doesn’t have a grip on himself, he concludes. It’s not safe for either him or Haruka as sad as that makes him.

_‘For Haru…Just one more day and we can finally meet._

He steals one final look at Haruka before leaving the Nanase residence, his cheeks dusted pink as the realization hit him how much he must have been aching to touch the young man for him to unconsciously reach out like that. He hurriedly makes his way back to his temple to cool off. He’s had enough Haruka time to last him awhile so he should be fine for the time being. He can survive this.

Less than a day left and he can finally be with Haruka,

Makoto couldn’t wait.

 

* * *

 

(Meanwhile at the Nanase Residence…)

“Yes, mother… I’m eating right now,” chancing a glance towards the living room clock hanging on the wall, it read 7:30 a.m. Good. He has time to leisurely eat his meal before first period starts. He sets two plates down the table and starts his breakfast as soon as he sat down, ripping a small chunk out of his bread and popping it into his mouth. “I’m eating toast.” he follows up.

“Yes. Bread.” Haruka sighs into the receiver, his phone cradled in between his shoulder and cheek with both hands currently occupied. Toast on one hand and chopsticks to pick on his favorite dish with the other. 

“Yeah........just bread,” he lies.

“...Yes,” he lies again.

“I’m not!” silence fills the receiver after his little outburst, neither one talking for an awkward minute. Haruka eventually caves in.

“.......Fine. I AM eating a little bit of it on the side.”

“........yes….. bread,” a tiny grunt escapes from his lips, “...with fish.” he mumbles the second part later.

“Of course it’s good,” he responds quickly, sounding a little offended “Anything tastes good with Mackerel. Don’t you like eating salted butter with toast? That’s how it is for me but instead of butter it’s salted, grilled fish.” he pauses to take another bite of toast and then his favorite fish, relishing the intense fish flavor in his mouth and chewing slowly before swallowing his food. He can’t imagine himself ever getting tired of the fish. “It’s actually healthier, Mother. You should try it.” he recommends in all seriousness which he’ll most likely regret in a few seconds. His mother, now fuming over the phone ensued a lengthy lecture about the serious health risks he’s putting himself into if he didn’t control his fish intake. Honestly, he genuinely loved his parents, most especially his mother but sometimes she could be too much for the teenager. Fifteen minutes later and his fish is left with just bones, his bread half eaten and one ear ready to fall off. Chancing another look at the clock he realizes he’d spent quite some time on the phone and if he didn’t start tidying up he’ll end up late for class.

“ ..........Fine..” he exhales in defeat, finally surrendering to his mother’s scolding over the phone. Why did his day start like this again? Oh. Right. Because he’s eating Mackerel. Again. But with toast this time. He wasn’t lying when he said grilled fish were much healthier than salted butter but he knows better than to not keep his mouth shut and his thoughts to himself... or else he’ll never hear the end of her lecture.

“Okay....Yes, I AM taking care of myself… No, it’s okay. I don’t really mind if I can’t celebrate it. Too troublesome anyway.”

“It’s okay if you guys can’t come home.” he lies for the third time. 

“Yes, okay take care of yourselves too, Bye.” The call ends with Haruka feeling a little heavy in the heart but he gets over it pretty quickly. Nothing new, really. Broken promises are a common occurrence in his family. Nothing to worry about. It’s just a Birthday after all. With a loud huff followed by a shrug, he picks up the dishes and proceeds to the kitchen, letting the dishes soak for now before heading out. He’ll just deal with cleaning later when he comes back. He makes a quick grab of his things, slips into his purple and blue tracks before locking the door behind him.

Outside was nice. The sky is clear with little to no clouds. The sun greeted him with warmth as its rays kissed his pale skin. Its light shining bright above the houses and warmed up everything that it touched, giving life to both plants and everything else that lived around it. He jogged down the steps to his house when he noticed something at the corner of his eye.

There it is again, he thought as he caught a shadowy figure on his far right side, floating as it followed him to school. The first time he saw it he thought of it as a random rain cloud hovering a little too low. It’s gotten progressively bigger through the years and even more clearer now that Haruka looks at it again. It’s starting to look a little bit like a person…minus whatever was sticking out behind it. He swears he could almost see the details of this SOMETHING if he squints but usually the shadow disappears when he stares at it for too long. Maybe it was shy? Normally, unusual shadows would freak people out but somehow, Haruka couldn’t bring himself to feel afraid over this invisible figure that often followed him everywhere. Oh. Right, not like anyone else besides him could see it so maybe it really is just a figment of his imagination like what his mother had first told him from when he was just a child. He returns his attention back to the road and proceeds on his usual route to school, ignoring the shadow as it slowly slinks closer to the young, blue-eyed man. This was like any other day to Nanase Haruka. Nothing unusual at all.

 

* * *

 

In the end Makoto, comes back to meet Haruka halfway through his walk to school. He’s hovering after him farther away than usual, fearing what he might do again. This is fine, the deity convinces himself and everything really was just fine and dandy for a little while until Haruka turns to stare at Makoto  straight in the eye. Like he KNOWS the deity was there, which was terrifying for Makoto because he’s technically invisible to the teen. In panic, the deity jumps up to the nearest roof and escapes before the teen could open his mouth and try to banish him into the abyss.

 

* * *

 

 He reaches his classroom  just in time before the bell rings and he’s thankful nothing else has happened since leaving the house. That is, until one of his classmates tosses a folded up piece of paper that read “Please meet me outside during lunch break, behind the first building in front of the big cherry tree. -Chigusa”. Suddenly Haruka feels far more exhausted than this morning, his face contorting to a troubled one before tucking away the piece of paper into his blazer pocket. Nanase Haruka isn’t really the friendliest person out there, nor is he a fan of people so these kind of things always took out a lot of energy from him. Now he’s tempted to ditch class because honestly, he doesn’t have the energy to be dealing with anything involving other people and himself. He’s tempted lock himself up in a bathroom and sleep his troubles away, preferably in a tub full of water. He senses an impending headache coming and his first class of the day happened to be his least favorite subject, English which really sucked. Ah, how he wanted to leave early so badly but he can’t. Not anymore because the following moment the teacher walks in and it’s too late to ditch class after making eye-contact with him. Now he’s taking roll call. Damn it.

 Lunch time rolls over and some guys in his class were nice enough to try and invite him out, which he politely declined. That earned him slurs of “Awww come on Nanase!” and “It’s about time you make friends!” from them. Like he didn’t know any better. They’re just using him as bait to get girls. He’s not gonna put himself through that. When he responds with “I do have friends. They just don’t go to this school,” they simply waved him off like they didn’t believe him. “Fucking rude,” is what he thinks one of his close friends would say in this situation. And yes, Nanase Haruka DOES HAVE FRIENDS. Despite his cynical outlook in life towards every single stranger he crosses paths with, he DID manage to catch three good friends from childhood named Nagisa Hazuki, Matsuoka Rin, Ryugazaki Rei and two others he wouldn’t even bother mentioning as their relationship as “friends” are complicated. One black-haired  teal eyed, another pink-haired purple eyed. Did he mention he was also oddly popular with the neighborhood seniors too? He doesn’t know why. He’s VERY popular with the neighborhood cats too but that because he secretly feeds them everyday. In return, the cats keep him company and allows the teen to pet them without the threat of drawing blood... Now let’s go back to what makes Nanase Haruka dislike people.

If Haruka were to make a list of the things he hated the most, it would include School. Not the studying part—he was good at that, but it was the students that went to his school that he disliked. Next on the list are Rumors... BASELESS rumors.

In school he is reportedly known as cool and mysterious as his female classmates liked to describe him. His male classmates on the other hand didn’t see him as much of a threat anymore compared the first day of highschool when girls in his class first noticed “that one pretty guy that sat quietly at the back of the room”. Sure, he’s popular because of the aloof air he gave off not to mention his looks, but Nanase Haruka wouldn’t bat even an eyelid to the prettiest girl of the school no matter how hard they tried. Meaning he wasn’t a rival they needed to worry about, so they were good with him. They’d even treat him Okay during groups activities and assignments.

“I’m just not interested,” He replied one day when questioned why he kept turning down every girl that came his way, and from that statement branched out another rumor that MAYBE he wasn’t interested in girls. That MAYBE his interests lie on the other side of the court. It wasn’t a secret he’s pretty enough to be a girl so when the rumor spread, confessions from one guy after another came. Some wanted to test the rumors, others took it as a joke. And then there’s that other group who took it as a dare to figure out the enigma “Nanase Haruka”... However, all were turned down just as quickly as the first person who approached him, the guy looking all smug and confident when he called him out that all Haruka could think of was What i’d do to wipe that expression off this guy’s face or Are you seriously going to try this on me?

Because Haruka wasn’t deaf so of course he’d heard them talking about their little dare. In Class. With the actual person they’re talking about physically present on the other side of the room. And he certainly wasn’t THAT clueless over his surroundings. On the contrary he was quite observant, he just chooses to keep his thoughts to himself. That’s why he knew exactly what rumors were going around about him and what these people were trying to get at. It wasn’t exactly that hard either, everyone practically talked out loud without any regard to their surrounding. All it took was a crowded library and open ears and he’s already hearing information he never imagined to know.

It took awhile but the rumors soon died down and the number of people that showed interest on the blue-eyed young man dwindled to almost none. All Haruka could think of was Finally I get to have my peace back.  Today however, he receives another confession from a girl at another class. A Senior, judging from her necktie color. Chigusa as signed on the note given, or rather tossed to him this morning. When he met her he immediately turns her down as per-usual. Just like ripping a bandaid, quickly ripping off the problem despite the pain and just getting it over with.

5 p.m. comes and school is finally over. The final bell signalling the end of class chimes and students start to file out in groups. Haruka waits until the last group steps out of the room and he instantly felt relief wash over him because FINALLY the day is over and he can do some soaking in his tub and sleep. His english homework be damned. As soon as he crosses the school gate , he is pulled out of his thoughts when a girl comes up to him, calling his name. Who in the world?...

“Uhm, Excuse me! Nanase Haruka-kun?” A female voice calls. Haruka stops and turns as the girl jog up to him. He blinks once… twice. He’s never met nor seen this person before so why does she know his name? Judging from her clothes she’s from another school. Whichever one Haruka doesn’t even know. She’s wearing a blue vest on top of a white button shirt that dipped far too low to be called decent. Her shirt open all the way down to the fourth button. Don’t these girls realize people who’re taller than them could practically see what’s underneath their shirts?, he thinks. Even her pleated skirt looked too short that Haruka’s sure if she bends forward her underwear would be showing. The guys in his class would probably love the sight but all it did for Haruka was repel him. Now Haruka wasn’t so conceited that he’d assume every girl that approached would hit on him but he was rather familiar with the way her eyes gleamed as she run them all over him. Or that unpleasant smirk that came after she was done with her quality checking that ticked Haruka to a certain level he’s about ready to say things usually reserved for people that he REALLY dislikes. He probably knows where this is going and he’s certainly not giving her what she wants.

Just as he guessed, the girl asks him if he was free and would like grab a coffee with her, in which he quickly responded with a well trained, flatter than usual “Sorry, not interested.” with an added “I’m busy.” line. Said girl however continued to push herself onto Haruka even after being turned down. Haru frowned as his patience wore thin but the offending line was crossed when she grabs his arm and presses her breasts against him. Haruka scowled and gave her a very clear warning look followed by “Don’t touch me.”

“BACK OFF.” he spat and pulled his arm away, proceeding to walk away as the girl ensued a flurry of slurs and curses which Haruka didn’t give a rat’s ass to. He’s not the one being degraded in public at having a sewer of a mouth. All he wanted was to get home, eat dinner, bathe and sleep. Why can’t people just leave him alone?

Fifteen minutes later and Haruka is finally home, exhausted from today’s activities. The house is cold and dark at night, lights all turned off as he forgot to keep the kitchen one on. He felt the wall in blind attempt to find the light switch. He did find it eventually and proceeded to the living room to drop his stuff. When he reaches the living room he quickly makes a grab for the remote to turn the t.v. on and play something as a background.

He appreciated the white noise and developed a habit of leaving the television on at night until he falls asleep. The noise comforted the teen and made living alone in a big house a little less disconcerting, most especially at night when everything else becomes eerily quiet. Thankfully the television had a timer setting so it would automatically shut off at one point during the night.

When Haruka finally finds a program he was happy with he makes a beeline towards the kitchen with food in mind. “Hm… Mackerel with miso sounds good,” he thinks out loud. He still has leftover miso paste so he doesn’t need to make a trip to the store. Wonderful.

With the final decision made he gathers all necessary ingredients onto his work station. He takes out a fresh slab of fish from the refrigerator, already defrosted and ready to cook because he did NOT just plan to cook said fish even after the stern lecture he received nine hours ago. Coming after the fish were container of miso paste, ginger, soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar and cooking utensil needed to prepare his dinner, all caution about health and a balanced diet thrown out of the window... Because really, what could one more slab of fish possibly do to him?

 

* * *

 

 Three hours left until Nanase Haruka turns 17 and Makoto of the Tachibana House is nowhere near around the young man’s house. It was almost time for Makoto to once again, meet those cerulean eyes that he so loved but right now he is sitting on grassy land, in front of a large, undisturbed lake  located somewhere in the mountain, miles and miles away from Haruka’s location. His eyes skimmed the starlit sky for any sign of light crossing over the moon, his tail idly swaying behind him as he lie in wait. What could possibly keep the deity from being away from Haruka is a big mystery to his furry little friends that sat with him. They eventually gave up at prodding the soft-hearted deity for an answer and just assumed it must have been something important for Makoto to leave Haruka’s side especially when he’s a few hours away from their promised meeting. A couple more minutes pass and then the deity sees it. His body tenses, ears perked up and eyes growing wide when he spots three bright lights speeding through the sky in a span of half a second, passing by the full moon that oddly looked bigger, somehow CLOSER to the ground and providing a dim light everywhere. Three bright lights leaving a trail of white line behind the other.

“It’s time. It’s finally time!” the deity beamed at his furry little friends. Rabbits, squirrels, deers and such that lived around the area of his shrine all startled awake from the deity’s outburst. The response he got were small whines as his little friends slowly stirred awake and the deity couldn’t help but laugh at their weak attempt to get up. Makoto has been up for a straight 72 hours and his little companions just couldn’t keep up with him anymore. He assured them it was okay for them to leave but they stayed, practically glued to his side, waiting along with him. He openly thanked them for that.

He waited. Waited for a long time because this moment needed to be perfect for the ritual to work, and he was okay with waiting. Because he was good at it that he managed to wait patiently for nearly half a Millennia to try the ritual of the Crystal Lake. It was a legend passed amongst his kind and he has no idea if it would work but for Makoto it was worth the chance.

From what the deity knows, the legend says that all gods are born with a unique gift of their own and their gift could be nurtured in time. If the specifics are met, on the 500th year since their birth on a full moon on any sacred ground, they are granted an audience to one of the Grand Gods of his realm and could ask for one wish. ANY kind of wish. And of course, that wish comes with an equal price. Makoto distantly thought it shouldn’t have been called a wish if it came with a price, sounding more like a trade with the Gods to him more than anything but apparently the rule was made to prevent lesser gods on taking advantage of their once-in-a-lifetime “wish”.  Then again, it was just a legend  so those rules may or may not be entirely accurate. He doesn’t even know if it’s true but fail or not, at least he tried. Then he wouldn’t have to brood about missing a chance he could have taken in the future. And so here he is now, waiting with hopeful thoughts that MAYBE he can finally have what he has long been wishing for since meeting the owner of those deep blue eyes he so loved.

Luckily for him, Makoto woke up on his 500th year and sacred Crystal Lake wasn’t very far away. He’s got all the specifics down. The deity almost laughed at the coincidence and convinced himself that maybe this was destined to happen. That maybe fate finally showed mercy and is giving him a chance to turn his circumstances around.

“Now then,” He uttered, slowly rising up from his seat. His friends all but gone to hide behind the bushes and watched from afar.

Taking a deep breath, he makes his way and stood close to the lake until the tip of his toes touch the water. He starts the ritual with a chant that eases into a song. An unknown language reserved to his kind. He gingerly dips an ancient branch he had personally enchanted himself halfway into the water and then lifts it up, both arms up with one higher than the other. He then carefully waves it from one side to the other, droplets of water flying everywhere as they sparkled under the moonlight with every calculated movement. Soon his whole body buzzed with energy and he danced and spun on his heels, his whole body spinning with the branch still in hand, the bell hanging from his ear singing along with every twist and turn he makes.  His voice carried over hope that the ritual would work. That if he put his whole heart into it, then maybe the legend might come true and the gods would hear his prayers.

The singing comes to an end and Makoto is breathing heavy after his performance that would hopefully impress any Grand God that’s watching.

And then it happens…

The once calm surface of the lake stirred and from the middle the water rose into what looked like a fountain. The fountain shone brightly that it momentarily blinds Makoto, his eyes adjusting to the light until it dims out into a gentler green glow similar to the glow of fireflies that hovered above the surface of the lake. As soon as he recovers his eyesight he sees it. From below the lake, a large figure of something ascends from the shallow depths of the water. A Grand God, or Goddess in this situation. For a moment he couldn’t believe his eyes. That the ritual actually worked and that the legend turned out to be true. His eyes were wide as saucers, firstly from awe. Second was from happiness and hope. His trance was broken when the goddess talks.

“Speak your mind,” her voice echoed throughout the area. It was a voice that was strong—firm yet gentle at the same time.

“...Ah...I am—”

“Deity Makoto of the Tachibana House.” Makoto was cut off mid sentence.

“Yes!”  he nearly yelped, a little taken aback.

“Are you aware of whom you just called, child?” she inquires further.

“....Yes, I am aware.” he answers a little warily.

“Then you know why I am here.”

“Yes, I am...”

“Then I have nothing more to explain. My name is Amakata, Grand Goddess that governs life and death on the other side. I have witnessed your performance and heard your passionate prayer. Speak your mind, child. What is it that you wish for?”

“I wish,” he spoke carefully, “I wish for someone to become a deity god like my kind! I wish for this person to be immortal so we could finally be together at least!” he announces as loud as he could to make sure his voice carries through, and also to hear his own words over the thundering noise of his heartbeat threatening to break out of its cage. He is so nervous that his fingers trembled in a mix of fear, excitement, horror, and happiness; his palms turning clammy with each passing second. It’s been awhile since the deity felt nervousness this strong, he thought as he looked straight at the Goddess that stood before him.

She gave a few appreciative hums, seeming to consider his request before speaking again.

“That is something I cannot just allow,” she speaks with finality. Makoto visibly frowns at her statement.

“Elevating someone to a Godly status means that the person will have to offer their soul to the goddess.”

Offer? Soul?, an unpleasant feeling started to swirl deep in the deity’s gut.

With a raise of the goddess’ hand a golden cusp richly adorned with crystals and other precious rocks that Makoto has never seen before appears from the palm of her hand. The cusp also gave a faint glow under the goddess’s touch. The deity eyed cusp critically, her words still echoed in his head.

Haru’s soul needs to be offered?, the deity sure didn’t like the direction the goddess was going.

“They will have to die and have their entire being reconstructed,” Makoto wasn’t sure if that was any different than the cycle of life Haruka goes through whenever his human lifespan comes to an end. As if the goddess read his thoughts she further explains the situation.

“Not only is the body reconstructed, their soul will start anew, a clean slate in other words. The chance of recovering their past memories would be impossible,” she continues.

Wait.. Haru won’t remember anything?!

“Their previous existence will be wiped and they will become someone new. A brand  new deity with a brand new, recycled soul.”

The unpleasant feeling swirling deep in the deity’s stomach continued to grow wilder, steadily climbing up to his chest and stopping at his throat where a lump had appeared out of nowhere “—d-does that mean Haru,”he chokes out “...H-Haru won’t be Haru anymore?” he stares wide-eyed.

“Yes. It’s as good as falling in love with another stranger, child. They will never become the same person you knew before. They will become someone else, devoid of any memories from their past lives and with no chance of recovering them at all.”

“That—No, I can’t do that. This is HARU. It’ll never be the right if it’s not the same Haru… not MY HARU… MY HARU-CHAN! It’s… It’s meaningless if it’s not him— I can’t… I can never do that to him,” He says, breathless. Eyes unfocused as his vision is clouded with the thoughts of his beloved becoming entirely someone else.

The goddess doesn’t respond back. Doesn’t say anything as the cusp on her palm started to visibly disappear. If she was offended by Makoto’s sudden outburst then the deity’s in big trouble. But Makoto doesn’t even care what’s going to happen to him right now. He’s too busy thinking a life with a different HARUKA.

“Please… I am sorry, please don’t take him away from me,” the deity says weakly, begging almost.

“You are forgiven,” she responds, humbled by the deity’s honesty. “I will not take him away from you. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I cannot simply grant your wish due to its grave price. I will not do anything unless you are absolutely sure about it.” she assures Makoto.

“Thank you…” makoto sighs in relief

The goddess is quiet for a moment, seeming to be thinking of something to say “Child, if immortality is something you do not want for this person then you can give up yours instead.” Makoto looks up at that.

“If you wish to, I could strip you off your godly status and live as a mere mortal— in the human world, wherever place you wish to reside. In exchange you will no longer be bound to this realm and be free of its rules,” she gives him a solemn look before continuing “you will be allowed to live as a human, marry a human, have family and children like a human...” she pauses “and die, just like any other human.”

“Will my memories get taken away?”

“No, they will remain with you. You stay the same way as you are but without any of your gifts.”

“Will I get a place in the mortal world if I ask for it?”

“That is a wish that could be done. It is your status as a god that is on the line so try to wish for something equivalent to that.” she supplies

Makoto considers her words carefully. On one hand he’ll be leaving his family behind but on the other is a life he could live with Haruka. It takes him another five seconds to choose his answer. He’ll choose Haruka on any day, any time. Because his family knows how deep Makoto’s love for the blue-eyed human is that they’ll understand his sacrifices. What he’s willing to do. ANYTHING just to be together with his precious one, even if it meant throwing away his own immortality. He looks up with hope laced with fear and a bit of hesitation… His hope wins in the end. “I can be together with him?”

“Of course.”

This is it. This is the chance he’d been waiting for his entire life. For the past hundreds of years he had never really had an actual chance against fate until now. Never had a chance to settle in with Haruka as true partners. The previous lives Haruka had were bouts of constant hiding and was more of a love affair than anything else. Because Haruka is a mortal and Makoto is a god that they can’t be together for long periods of time. It’s just the way the rules of the two different realms were made and Makoto FINALLY has a chance to change their circumstances. He has a chance to finally BE with Haruka. Immortality be damned, he’s lived a long life already with majority of it being asleep that he doesn’t mind if his life is cut short to mere 60 human years.

Because now that Makoto has a chance to think about it, he realizes how tired he is experiencing the same feeling of his heart being ripped out of his chest whenever Haruka’s human body reaches its end. The pain so great that he ends up hibernating for many years to escape from reality that Haruka is not immortal like him so of course he’ll die sooner or later. It is also the main reason why he couldn’t wake up until Haruka is reborn into the world. The deity wouldn’t be able to live through a year without the love of his entire existence present that he rather be asleep and dead to the world than deal with the loss, as cowardly as that may sound... Makoto had grown to become too greedy and completely reliant on the mortal’s existence. It probably won’t be too long either until he completely loses himself with his human’s cycle of life and death. Before he loses his mind after experiencing multiple episodes of having to watch Haruka draw his last breath on each and every human lifetime. He’d rather be with Haruka now and live a short but fulfilling life than tolerating the neverending cycle of life and death. All these thoughts flooding his mind is what helped push the deity to make his final decision and he won’t regret it. This is for Haruka and for the sake of his own sanity.

“Then… please,” makoto takes a deep breath, wearing a look of pure determination and hope as he stares straight into the goddess’ eyes.

“In exchange for my immortality, grant me the wish to gain a place in the mortal world and live next to the person I love. Please turn me into a mortal.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. I am.”

“Very well.” the cusp is back again and she holds it in front of her while saying the words “I, Amakata that governs life and death bestows upon you mortality, a life on the human realm in exchange for your very own immortality. I strip you of you title, Deity Makoto of the Tachibana house,” the cusp starts to glow brighter and so does Makoto who remained still as a rock.

“I announce you as human, you are no longer god. From now you will live as Tachibana Makoto of the human realm!” with her final words the cusp draws whatever godly powers Makoto has, draining the deity of his immortal life that left Makoto gasping for air. His vision started to tunnel with everything else turning into a blur of green light. Before the former deity Makoto passes out, he thinks of only blue eyes and ebony hair.

“This is for Haru..This is for me. For Us.” he barely hangs at consciousness.

“Wait for me Haru, i’ll be with you soon.”

tbc. . .

 

 


End file.
